Does the following make any sense to you?

"There is no indication in the biblical accounts of the Last Supper that the disciples thought that the bread and wine changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. There simply isn't any indication of this. Should we say that the disciples who were sitting right there with Jesus, actually thought that what Jesus was holding in his hands was his own body and blood? That would be ridiculous....

The Mass is supposed to be a re-sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, the body and blood represented in the Mass become the broken body and shed blood of Christ. In other words, they represent the crucifixion ordeal. But how can this be since Jesus instituted the Supper before He was crucified? Are we to conclude that at the Last Supper, when they were all at the table, that when Jesus broke the bread it became His actual sacrificial body -- even though the sacrifice had not yet happened? Likewise are we to conclude that when Jesus gave the wine that it became His actual sacrificial blood -- even though the sacrifice had not yet happened? That would make no sense at all."

http://www.carm.org/catholic/transubstantiation.htm

So since the plain sense (eating the literal body of Christ) doesn't make sense, we should 'seek another sense'.

16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? (1 Corinthians 10, NIV)

16 is it not the communion (2842) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion (2842) of the body of Christ? (KJV)

verse 16... Communion: 2842 Koinwnia partnership, i.e. (lit) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction:- (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-) distribution fellowship.

http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=2844

17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers (3348) of that one bread....(Ibid)

3348: Meteko... For more on this word go to:

http://www.jaysnell.org/Book11HTM/chapter_seven.htm

Essentially it means: to partner with

18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers (2844) of the altar? (Ibid)

2844: KoinwnosD a partner, associate, comrade, companion a partner, sharer, in anything of the altar in Jerusalem on which the sacrifices are offered sharing in the worship of the Jews partakers of (or with) demons brought into fellowship with them, because they are the authors of heathen worship.

In verse eighteen what we share in is the altar/the table. This verse is showing how Israel did it and by sharing in the animal sacrifice they partook of the altar. Now if Catholics want to say that our partaking means, 'eat' then we would be eating the altar.

Notice it makes a point of identifying them as 'Israel after the flesh' , which means that one cannot draw a parallel between the OT eating of the sacrifice 'after the flesh' and the NT observance.

"63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." (John 6)

This chapter does not draw parallels between a literal animal sacrifice being eaten and a literal sacrifice of Christ being eaten.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers (3348) of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. (Ibid)

3348: Meteko... For more on this word go to:

http://www.jaysnell.org/Book11HTM/chapter_seven.htm

Essentially it means: to partner with

Greek Word Meanings:

Next Set of Verses:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. (I Cor. 11, NIV)

...shew the Lord's death till he come...(KJV)

Shew: 2605: katagellw ...to proclaim, promulgate:-declare, preach, shew, speak of, teach

None of these words in Greek indicate a connection to the communion that Catholics suggest.

The kind of connection that they are trying to prove is unsubstantiated not transubstantiated.

If we were to assume the kind of participation that they are speaking of then the first set of verses quoted would read like this:

Do not those (OT Jews) who eat the sacrifices Eat the altar.

Unless Catholics really want us to believe that the Jews literally ate the altar.

Also here these Jews are identified as Jews 'in the flesh'. However, our identification with Christ is spiritual.

Unworthily receiving the communion is not determined by whether one deems communion the literal body and blood of Jesus but rather sin not repented of.

So three points should be remembered here:

1) It does not make sense to eat the literal body of Christ, so we 'seek another sense.

And

2) The greek words used in the above scriptures do not indicate an eating of the literal body of Christ but a participation/partnership in the body and blood of Christ and the 'one loaf'.

3) The OT Jews 'in the flesh' ate the animal sacrifice but for us, 'The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing', in regards to the communion.

(John 6:63)

BJ Maxwell 04/25/2006